Open letter submitted by by Michael Spilo ( RTM, D11, Chairman, RTM Public Works Committee), Craig Amundson (RTM, D12, Vice-Chairman, RTM Public Works Committee) and Philip Dodson, (RTM, D8, Secretary, RTM Public Works Committee)
Dear Fellow RTM Members, Friends and Neighbors:
The issue of sidewalk extensions (a.k.a. bump-outs) has been with us for several years. As members of the RTM Public Works Committee we have spent a lot of time looking at this and we believe the idea lacks merit.
The design concept is old. It has been around since the 1990s, and NYC, San Francisco and even Great Neck, Long Island, started implementation in the early 2000. Mayor de Blasio’s goal was to eliminate pedestrian injuries. There was no change after his initiatives.
The idea was that making roads less navigable will make them safer by forcing cars to slow down. The obvious problem is that drivers are often distracted or in a hurry and don’t slow down, in which case, less navigable roads are simply more dangerous, as we’ve seen with the recent change to Husted Lane which is being redone. Similarly pushing pedestrians waiting to cross into the middle of the intersection makes them more visible, but also puts them in harm’s way.
Like much in urban design fads, there is little scholarship to support the concept. While many papers and articles were written touting POTENTIAL safety there has been no follow-up showing actual improvements. See for yourself:
Aside from lacking underlying supporting science, the proposal for Greenwich falls short in many other regards. Please see the attached presentation which outlines our findings.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Michael Spilo
RTM, D11
Chairman, RTM Public Works Committee
Craig Amundson
RTM, D12
Vice-Chairman, RTM Public Works Committee
Philip Dodson,
RTM, D8
Secretary, RTM Public Works Committee
The opinions presented are our own.
